Lankford: Obama Energy Plan A 'Zero sum game'

Wants 'serious
budget cuts'

Congressman James Lankford issued the following statement in response to President Obama’s State of the Union address.

“Our country is facing a debt crisis and Washington must come together to find common sense solutions.

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“Only when we take an honest approach to the deficit, will we begin to dig ourselves out of this hole. The sleight of hand that takes money from one program and gives it to another does not decrease the deficit. Reshuffling spending is not the same as cutting spending.

“The President’s call for new ‘investments’ is simply a guise for more of the same old stimulus spending which has done nothing to jumpstart the economy, and will surely lead to future tax increases.

"Initiatives that create alternative energy jobs at the expense of traditional energy jobs is a zero sum game. They will not put more people to work and it will not achieve energy independence.

"The combination of new spending with the proposed budget freeze will only maintain an unsustainable status quo. We need serious cuts, not a continuation of the trillion dollar deficits that are jeopardizing our nation’s fiscal stability.

“Republicans are actively pursuing real cuts in the budget with specific proposals. But no party can do this alone; it must be a united effort. It is time for everyone to bring their own ideas to the table in good faith. Tomorrow I will begin to work with Chairman Paul Ryan and my colleagues on the Budget Committee to properly prioritize the way our government handles taxpayer dollars. It’s time to get back to this basic function of government and I am ready to take on the challenges of getting our nation on a solid fiscal footing.”

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